The 10 Most Stressful Jobs In 2012: CareerCast.com

Harry Bradford
Associate Editor, HuffPost Business and HuffPost Small Business

Even with many returning to work from the holiday season feeling refreshed, the stress of the job is bound to return -- especially for certain types of workers.

Some anxiety-inducing professions such as military-related jobs and law enforcement officers have gotten increased recognition this year in CareerCast.com's annual list of the most stressful jobs. The site compiled the list by ranking jobs based on 11 factors that can affect the amount of stress employees feel at work: growth potential, travel, deadlines, working in the public eye, competitiveness, physical demands, environmental conditions, hazards encountered, own life at risk, life of another at risk and meeting the public.

Jobs held by military personnel and law enforcement officials were largely ignored in last year's list, but they now account for three of the top five most stressful jobs. One of the reasons those professionals may rank so high on the stress list? Workers in both fields constantly risk injury and even death on a daily basis. What's more, military generals, who ranked fourth on the list, are also often anxious about how their decisions affect the safety of their troops, CNBC reports.